Missionary Series.] re C ¥: 


/SELF- SUPPORT ° | 


; } { 
AND. i a5 


“MISSION WORK 


“Noni INDIA MISSION. | 


BY 


REV. E. W. PARKER. 


A CORRECTION OF ERRORS IN DR. WILLIAM TAYLOR'S 
BOOK ON “‘SELF-SUPPORTING MISSIONS.” ~ 
ee 
ROHILCUND DISTRICT REPORT FOR 1882. 


ng Ege FL ee Eg a eT Oe Pee 
, : x 


i 


: NEW YORK: 
PRINTED FOR THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY, 
805 BROADWAY. 
1883. Nyaa 


( 
SUMMARY OFv SELF-SUPPORT. 


( “A reference to the statistics of the North India Con- 


ference in the ANNUAL Ruporr for 1882 will show that, 
taking the five columns, which represent the different 
forms of contribution ion the field, the aggregate of such 
contribution, or general self-support, in the Mission is 
$32,002 02, being more than half the appropriation from 
the missionary treasury. {These contributions proceed 
chiefly from.the Anglo-Indian population; but the Hin- 
dus, nearly all -paor, are learning, as will be seen in the 
following pages, to do their part. 


a 


GENERAL STATISTICS OF THE MISSION IN 1882. 


Number of missionaries, 21; assistant missionaries, 15; 
missionaries of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, 
12; European and Eurasian assistants of same society, 
19; native workers of the same, 217; native preachers 
and other helpers, 269; native teachers, 352; members 
and probationers, 3,474; Sunday-schools, 339; Sunday- 
scholars, 14,631; Theological schools,1; students, 26; 
high schools, 6; pupils, 429; day-schools, 307; pupils, 
9,734; orphans, 612; churches, 32; halls, and other 
places of worship, 313 parsonages, 59; value of church 
property, $198,297; value of schools, hospitals, etc., 
$144,255; total contributions-on the field, $32,002 02. 

The statistics reported at the North India Conference 
of January, 1883, would show much advance on the above 
figures in some points. Mr. Parker, it will be seen, uses 
in his criticism of Dr. Taylor’s book the statistics of 1881. 


Missionary Series.] 


DR. WILLIAM TAYLOR’S BOOK ON. SELF- 
SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 


BY REV. E. W. PARKER. 


S I am a sincere believer in Brother Taylor’s 

_work, I very much regret the necessity of calling 
attention to the errors in this book, lest I may seem 
to be writing against the great ¢ ood which he hag 
accomplished. But the fraternal letter of mine, 
_ written to the South India Conference, which he 
publishes in his book, will be proof to ’all readers 
that I have been and still am in hearty sympathy 
- with the work of the South India Conference. Many 
of the errors in the book, however, so injuriously 
“misrepresent us and our work in the North India 
Conference, that I feel sure it is the duty of some 
one to correctthem. SoI write simply to endeavor 


to correct the wrong impressions that the book 
: No. 7. 


A A Correction of Errors in 


must make, and not to say any thing against the 
work in India. 


THE TWO FIELDS. 


1. In comparing the work of the North India and 
the South India Conferences, the different circum- 
stances and conditions under which they were estab- 
lished and exist must be borne in mind all the way 
through, or a false impression will be received. The 
work in the South India Conference, with two or 
three exceptions, was opened and is carried. on in 
the central places of India where there are Europe- 
ans and Hurasians residing, and where mission work 
has been carried on from fifty to seventy-five years. 
‘So that all things were ready for.a harvest. These 
Europeans and Eurasians were as a rule Protestants, 
who were, however, neglected by the chaplains of 
the Government, and were in need of salvation. 
Brother Taylor’s work was commenced and is 
mostly carried on among these Christian people, and 
the support of the work comes from them. They — 
support their pastors. The work of the North In- 
dia Conference was established among twenty mill- 
ions of heathen who had never heard of the Gospel 
message, and where in most of the stations there - 
were very few Europeans or Eurasians. Ours was 
a work for the heathen, who regarded us as enemies, 
where no missions had ever been established ; theirs 
was in the old fields and among nominal Christians — 
_ who, in their neglected condition, gladly received 


ministers who would work for them. 
No. 7. rs 


Dr. Taylor's “ Self-Supporting Missions.” 5 


SELF-SUPPORT IN EACH FIELD. 


2. Where we have work among Europeans and 
Eurasians our Churches are also self-supporting, ex- 
actly as in South India. In Lucknow, Cawnpore, 
and Nynee Tal we have the same kind of work that 
characterizes the South India Conference, and it is 
supported in the same way. On the other hand, 
in the South India Conference, where they have men 
devoted to native work, they are no more self- 
~ supporting than our men are who are working ainong 
the heathen. They are not supported by the hea- 
then among whom they labor. The native Churches 
also in South India are no more self-supporting 
than ours are. Our native Christians contribute to 
the support of their pastors, and in nearly all of our 
older stations at least one native man is fully sup- 
ported by each native Church. Brother Ward is re- 
ferred to by Brother Taylor as working among the 
heathen, and he “supports himself.” How? He 
has a very regular Income from friends, not heathen, 
who gladly give their charity money to him. — Be- 
sides this he sends out annually all over India and to 
friends in America a most touching report, giving 
full particulars of all his work. In these ways he 
secures the means for carrying on his mission. It is 
misleading to call this self-support, or to say “he 
supports: himself.” He is supported, and so is his 
work, by Christian friends of missions in India and 
America. The point is this: In our work and in 


the South India work the laborers among the heathen 


are supported by the Church, or by friends of the | 
| No. 7, 


6 A Correction of Errors in 


missions; we by an organized plan, they by an un- 
organized one. The laborers among Europeans in 
both Conferences are supported by these Europeans, 
andthe native laborers, where there are native Chris- 
tians, are supported partially or wholly by those 
Christians according to the number and circum- 
stances of the people. The difference is simply in 
the manner of securing the money. 


CONVERTS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE MISSION. 


3. Brother Taylor says, page 244, “Of the 3,228 
members of the North India Conference 661 of them, 
including the 68 local preachers named, are employed 
as teachers and helpers in various departments of 
missionary work, and are paid by the Missionary 
Society. The most of these being men, they and 
their families constitute the Jarger proportion of 
this 3,228 members, and drawing their supplies from 
New York.” Again, on page 246, he says, ‘“‘ When I 
labored with them, twelve years ago, they bad a 
- membership of about 800, and nearly all directly or 
indirectly depending on the missionary appropria- 
tions from New York for their subsistence.” <A. 
reference to facts will show the errors in these 
statements. A list of all our Christian workers is 
found at the beginning of the Missionary Report. 
The number of men in 1881 was 154 all told, but 
these are by no means all supported by the Mission- 
ary Society. Some are supported by the Churches, 
some are supporting themselves, many are school- 
yacber supported by the school fund, a large portion 

No. 7. 


Dr. Taylor's “ Self-Supporting Missions.”  % 


of which is raised in India, For example, here in 
Moradabad, where the boys’ schools are under my 
charge, we receive 380 rupees per quarter from the 
Missionary Society for schools, and our expenses are 
over 1,050 rupees per quarter, 670 rupees being raised. 
locally. We have in this city two men devoted to 
preaching ; one, in charge of all the work, is paid by 
the mission, and the other, the pastor, is altogether 
supported by the native Church. There is also one 
local preacher, who supports himself. 

These facts show that neither this work nor these 
men are supported wholly by the Missionary Soci- 
ety. We have many calls for schools, and the 
Society aids us some, and we secure much aid locally. 
Good Christian teachers are, therefore, in great de- 
mand, and if a Christian man gives himself to 
teaching as a business, it is misleading to say that 
he is dependent on the mission for subsistence. We 
never think of our teachers in America as being 
subjects of charity supported by the State. But 
even regarding our workers in this light, still it is a 
great mistake to say that ‘nearly all of our Chris- 
tians are directly or indirectly depending on the 
missionary appropriations for their subsistence.” 
The mass of the native Christians are villagers, and 
have neyer received one cent of mission money: 
we have nothing to do with their means of sub- 
sistence.., The proportion of the men working for 
the mission as teachers and preachers and paid, as 
mentioned above, is about one to forty of the Chris- 
tian community. Brother Zahur-ul-Huqq's district 
contains about twelve hundred Christians, age 

No. 7, 


S 


8 A Correction of Errors in 


tives, and five hundred thousand heathen. Here 
eighteen men are paid from mission funds, and nine 
more from school funds. This is a fair proportion — 
of workers employed in our village work. 

In another part of the book the ‘‘ Compound 
System ” is referred to, with the intimation that the 
regular missionaries take their people into their 
compounds and care for and support them. We 
have never had this system, and nearly all missions 
in India outgrew this custom years ago. A mission 
that would support inquirers in these days could 
baptize ten thousand converts a year. There is 
some wisdom among the hundreds of missionaries 
in India, and the lessons of independence and self- 
reliance which Brother Taylor says he gave his 
converts are exactly the same as had been taught 
by missionaries years before he came to India. 
The cases of persons being received and protected 
by missionaries are only special cases, not repre- 
senting more than one in a thousand of people con- 
verted. Hence to represent this as the plan of work 
is misleading. 


SCHOOL STATISTICS. 


4. I wish to call attention to the statistics of 
schools as given in this book. There are reported 
364 pupils in the schools of the North India Confer- 
ence, and 681 in the South India Conference, though 
in another place there is reference made to “ other 
primary schools in North India.” The following 


statistics are from our report for 1881: f 
No, 7, 


Dr. Taylors “ Self-Supporting Missions.” 9 


PUPILS. 

1. English self-supporting schools ..... 164 
2. Anglo-vernacular boys’ high and mid- 

PCNOISTAGS ae fuewe wees Ls eatoos 1,718 

8. Girls’ Boarding-schools............ 316 

4. Primary Schools for Boys.......... 4,298 

5. Primary Schools for Girls ...... phan yd Ce 

6. Shahjehanpore Orphanage—Boys.... 260 

%. Bareilly Orphanage—Girls.......... 250 

Totals. S9: yo o.e bone 9,379 


Of the 681 pupils given as belonging to the 
South India Conference 270 belong to Union schools, 
which were not started by our Church, nor are they 
controlled by that Conference. Of the 420 orphans 
given, 350 belong to the Colar Orphanage, which is 
in no way the result of Brother Taylor’s work, nor 
does the South India Conference have any control 
over it whatever. They hoped to secure pastoral 
charge, but have not. succeeded. Hence, to compare 
results, we have in the North India Conference 9,379 
pupils in our own schools of all grades, and in the 
South India Conference 481 in their own schools, 


CHURCH STATISTICS. ~ 


5. In this connection, Brother Taylor gives for the 

- North India Conference 30 regular ministers. Our 

Minutes show for the year referred to as follows: 

Missionaries, 27; native ministers, 20; making a 

_ total of 47 in Conference. Of these missionaries 

- five were in self-supporting work, or, in ee 
FF a3 O, 6. 


10 A Correction of Errors in 


Taylor’s phraseology, ‘‘supporting themselves ;” and 
two others only received a part of their salary 
from the Society. Three of these have since taken 
work at home. The number of our local preachers is 
given correctly as 68. All of these, however, are not 
regular supplies, and hence not paid by the Svciety, 
nor do these show the full number of our supplies. 
Our new work among heathen leads us to elevate 
men slowly, hence we first give workers an exhorter’s 
license, and give them a four-years’ course of study 
to pass; then, if found efficient, we give them a local 
preacher’s license, and another four-years’ course of 
study, and until thisis passed they are not received 
into Conference. The wisdom of this plan will he 
seen at once when it is remembered that we gather 
all from the heathen. Hence we have both exhort- 
ers and local preachers as regular supplies, and the 
entire number of these, in 1881, was 102 instead of 60, . 
All these and the 20 natives in Conference, except 
five, were raised up by ourselves from the heathen. 
There is a vast difference between getting an intelli- 
gent European nominal Christian converted, and 
giving him a preacher’s license at once, and raising 
up men from the heathen. 

The membership of our Churches in the North 
India Conference is also given correctly ; still a few 


words will make matters more clear. Brother Taylor _ 


compares their growth with ours. Note one fact. 

At their first Conference they reported 1,596 mem- 

bers, and six years afterward 2,040, an increase in 

six years of 444. Meantime they had taken up new 

aes and entered new fields, which had given 
0. £ 


f 


Dr, Taylor's “ Self-Supporting Missions.” 11 


them about 350 members, so that their increase in 
tiiose stations which were reported at the first Con- 
ference, taken as a whole, has not been large in six 


-years—not over 100. This shows that there was a 


class of Clristians ready for Brother Taylor’s revival 
work, and he did a grand work in gathering them 
in, almost at a stroke; but after the first stroke the 
growth is very slow. In the six years referrcd to 
above the increase of membership in our field was 
1,188, all in our old field. We commenced among 
enemies, and the first year had no members, the 
second year three, and we have grown up to 3,228. 

They commenced among Christians, and their 
first work in each place gave them the larger part 
of their success. 

I am sorry that Brother Taylor did not add to his 
table of comparative statistics our 13,000 Sunday- 
school children, and when he remarked that our 
work was among the lower and poorer classes, had 


che also remarked that a large proportion of these 


13,000 Sunday-school children were from the higher 
classes, he would have made another good point, in 
showing the mortgage we have on the future men 
and women of the higher classes. It is true, that the 
most of our Christians are from among the poor and 
uneducated; but God has also given us, among our 
workers, our Pauls from the educated classes, so 
that in our working force we are strong—equal to 
any emergency. 

Brother Taylor lays great stress upon their con- 
verts from the “raw heathen, ” giving the number 
as 450. A presiding elder of that Conference was 


No, 7. 


12 A Correction of Errors in 


asked how many of these were brought out and bap- 
tized by the Methodists. His reply was: “A very 


small proportion.” A quotation from a presiding | - 


elder’s report will explain this: “In the district | 
south of Calcutta, many thousands of Bengali Chris- 
tians are found belonging to the Baptist, Anglican, 
and Roman Catholic Churches. There have from — 
time to time been many dissensions among these peo- 
ple, and changes of Church relationship, and in the 
course of years not a few of the people have drifted 
away from all Church membership. Some years ago 
some of these villagers, having come to Calcutta for 
employment, were led to our meetings, and having 
been blessed in doing so, carried back a good report 
of us to their friends in the country. The result 
was that we received many invitations to send 
preachers to various points. Slowly we have or- 
ganized societies in a number of villages, until we 
now have a hundred or more enrolled.” This shows 
that a large proportion of the native members also 
_ are gathered in from among stray nominal’ Chris- 
tians, who had been first taught and baptized by 
others, and who ask to be taken over. It is a good 
work to gather them in, but it is very different trom 
gathering in from the “raw heathen,” who do not. 
ask to be taught, and at first always resist. Con- 
cerning the preaching of Brother Taylor’s mission- 
aries to the lieathen, one of their older men lately 
published in the Bombay “ Guardian ” the follow- 
ing: ‘During the period of ten years, only two of 
all the men sent out to our work by Rev. Wm. Tay- 
lor have succeeded in gaining a knowledge of the 
No, 


Dr, Taylor's “ Self-Supporting Missions.” 138 
native language.” A few men; however, who have 
_ joined in India, do know the vernacular. 

There is, however, no wisdom in comparing 
statistics in two such fields and between two such 
works: one spread out all over India in the great 
centers, gaining converts, European and native, from 
nominal Christians; and the other occupying a little 
corner, with 20,000,000 of heathen, for the purpose 
of raising up a living Church and ministry trom 
among them. It is difficult to understand the 
motive that led to such a comparison. We make it 
only in self-defense and to secure a fair presentation 
of figures. 


CHURCH PROPERTY. 


6. The reference to Church property also requires 
a word of explanation. Our entire mission prop- 
erty in North India amounts to $283,002, and at least 
one half of this sum was raised in India. When Dr. 
Butler urged the occupying a large field at once, he 
pledged himself to raise one half of all the cost of 
providing mission residences; and his report shows 
that he more than met his pledge. When school 
buildings and churches have been erected, effort has 
first been made to secure all we could in India, then 
asking aid from the Board at home. The money 
for the central buildings at Moradabad, Bijnour, 
Bareilly, Shahjehanpore, Budaon, etc., was at least 
one half raised in India. The large church in Luck- 
now only received a trifle from home. Cawnpore 
received nothing. The large building, about to be 
erected in Lucknow, has 10,000 rupees ed eens 
0. T. 


14 _ A Correction of Errors in 


to commence with. But Brother Taylor says our 
native members did not pay for this property. I 
venture to state that for buildings erected where 
there are native Christians to aid, they have paid 
as liberally, in comparison with their incomes, as 
have the members of the South India Conference. - 
The little chapels, in the villages, among the Chris- 
tians are nearly all erected by subscriptions from 
the native Churches. In all this comparison it 
should be remembered that there is a vast difference 
between the average income of a native of India and 
that of a European. The average income of 'a na- 
tive in North India ranges from 4 rupees to 30 
rupees permonth. The average income of a Eurasian 
or European of the class reached by Brother Taylor 
ranges from 30 rupees to 800 rupees per month. 
Hence, natives, at their rate of living, cannot support 
European pastors, nor erect houses for them. They 
can, and do, support pastors like themselves; and 
can, and do, erect chapels on the scale of their own 
houses. We received much aid from European 
friends of missions, and the South India Conference 
does the same. Their members did not pay for all 
their Church property. 


APPROPRIATIONS. 


7. One word about appropriations. The remarks 
‘of Brother Taylor make it appear as though our 
appropriations were mostly devoted to the support 
of natives. Our appropriations for 1881 were as fol- 
ake : To aid in the support of 122 native preachers, 

0. 4. 


Dr. Taylor's “ Self-Supporting Missions.” . 15 


$8,800; to aid in 145 boys’ schools with 6,104 pupils, 
$8,000; boys’ orphanages, $4,900; publishing inter- 
ests, $600; medical work, $650. These are the cur- 
rent amounts that goin any way to natives for work 
or support. Our 122 native ministers receive from 
America no more than would support four pastors 
in the home churches; and our entire allowance for 
schools with 6,000 pupils i is not enough to pay four 
professors in good institutionsin America. The rest 
of our appropriations for that year were for mission- 
aries, new buildings, etc. The large expense of 
missions is for missionaries sent out from America, 
and so long as they work for the heathen they must 
be supported, either by independent missions, like 
Brother Ward’s, or by a regular organization. There 
may be room-for a few such independent missions 
in the Church; but many such, with their reports 
and appeals, would not conduce to harmony and 
order, either in the Church or the mission field. 


CONCLUSION. 


The points I have tried to make clear, are— 
1. That Brother Taylor’s laborers have drawn their 
members, European and natives, mostly from nominal 
Christians ready to receive them, and that their first 
success was their great success; their growth in the 
old fields has been very little. That the mission- 
aries sent out by Brother Taylor have not, with two 
exceptions, as per published testimony of one of the 
older men, acquired the native languages; while we 
founded a mission for the heathen in a new field of 
20, 000,000 of people, learned their language, gathered 

= No. 7 


16 A Correction of Errors. 


schools, Sunday-schools, members and preachers from 
the heathen who had never heard of Jesus until we 
told them. Our first strokes seemed to gain us 
nothing, but our growth during the past six years has 
been encouraging; and now, with our 122 native 
preachers, 3,228 members, 9,379 pupils in schools, 
and 13,000 in Sunday- schools, we are ready for work ; 
and success. 2. That our work is by no means alto- — 
gether supported by the Missionary Society. The 
Society supports the missionaries who work among 
the heathen, and aids only in the other work. We 
draw on the resources of the country in every pos- 
sible way, and that for work among the heathen. 
3. The appropriations given to India are always in 


aid of what is received here, and for the amount of — . 


work done they are very small ; and I wish to add 
further, that if the North India Conference is sus- 
tained, it will show large growths within a very 
few years, and if Brother Taylor’s missionaries learn 
the language of the people, or work through the En- 
glish language for non-Christians, they will also see 
much more growth during the next six years; butif 
they do not, they must remain about as they are, for 
the Christian English-speaking community is very 
limited in India. 

In closing I restate what I said in the beginning, 
that I heartily believe in the work of the South 
India Conference; what I deprecate is the wrong 
impression and errors that have grown out of an ef- 
fort to compare two works that have no_ points 
whatever in common, and it is to correct these 
aoe Spe I have written. 

O. be 


-ROHILCUND DISTRICT REPORT 
HOR: LSSs2. 
Rev. E. Ww. PaRKER, Presiding Elder. 


Sites eae A es 
SKETCH OF CIRCUITS. 


Bareilly. This is a large city of 100,000 people, 
the center of a large zila (county) of the same 
name, containing a population of 1,030,936. 
The circuit, according to our division, contains a 
part of the Bareilly Zila, and the whole of Pili- 
bhit, making a population for the circuit of about 
1,000,000 souls. The Theological Seminary and 
Christian High School, Girls’ Orphanage, Female 
Hospital, City Anglo- vernacular middle school, 
with thirty small schools for boys and girls, thirty 
Sunday-schools, a large zenana, and the usual 
evangelistic work, constitute the special work of 
the station. The village work is carried on from 
five centers under native preachers. 

Futhagunge. This is a circuit of villages in the 
Bareilly Zila, having about 840,000 people resid- 
ing in about 600 villages. There are Christians in 
only twenty-two of these yet, but the work is 
rapidly spreading. Work is carried on from five 
centers, and there are five primary schools in the 
circuit. The minister in charge is a Hindustani 
Jew of great energy, and his eonyctts represent all 
classes. — 


2 


No. 7, 


18 Rohileund District Report. 


Khera Bajhera was established by a gift from 
General Gowan, and his endowment supports most 
of the work here. There are two schools for boys 
and two for girls, and there are a few Christians - 
living near the pastor, who is an ordained local 
preacher. There are hundreds of villages accessible 
and thousands of people, but the work has not 
spread among them much, though all are friendly. 

Shahjahanpore. This includes the city of Shah- 
jahanpore, containing 77,000 people, and the zila 
of the same name, containing 850,000. The Boys’ 
Orphanage, one Anglo-vernacular middle school, 
twenty-seven primary schools, and thirty-one Sun- 
day-schools, with the usual evangelistic operations, 
constitute the work in the station. There are four _ 
sub-circuits for village work. 

Panahpore is a Christian village. The people are 
farmers, and are all Christians. There are two 
schools here for their children. 

Budaon. This is also the center of a large zila, 
containing 900,000 souls. The old circuit has 
been divided, so that the present circuit contains 
about 400,000. There is a good girls’ boarding 
school here, and the usual middle school for boys, 
and a primary for boysand girls—twenty-six in 
all. The Sunday-schools contain quite 2,000 pu- 
pils, this being the banner circuit of the district. 
An excellent building for our work has just been 
completed in the city. 

Silsi is a village circuit under a native minister, 
who is pushing forward his work very successfully 


in the villages. Work is carried on from five 
Mo. %. 


Rohileund District Report. 19 


centers about ten miles apart. Population of the 
circuit about 250,000. 

- Bisauli is also under a native minister, and the 
work is similar to that of Bilsi, with hundreds of 
‘villages, scores of openings, and fair success. 
Twenty-eight adults have been baptized this 
year. 

Chandausi. This is a large business town of 
27,000 people. Mr. Bailey, a Eurasian local preach- 
er, has charge, and has one Anglo-vernacular school 
and several small schools, His Sunday-school 
work is encouraging, and his Sunday services are 
well attended. 

Moradabad city contains about 67,000 people. 
The circuit contains about 500,000. The girls’ 
boarding schools, with 116 girls, and a large - 
Anglo-vernacular middle school, with twenty-four 
primary schools, form the special work of the sta- 
tion. The evangelistic work and the zenana work 
among the poor people of the city are especially 
promising. The Central Sunday-school, for both 
boys and girls, is very interesting, and numbers 
300. The Sabbath city service has been well at- 
tended allthe year. The pastoral and evangelistic 
work is under the charge of a native minister of 
efficiency. 

Bynour. This is a large circuit, including all the 
-Bijnour Zila of 721,000 people. This work is 
also under the charge of a native minister. There 
is here a good boarding school for girls and two 
good Anglo-vernacular schools for boys, with the 
usual other schools and zenana work. vilipes 

oO. 


20 Rohileund District Report. 


work is carried on from seven centers, from ten to 
twenty miles apart. 

Of the above work the Theological Seminary, the 
Boys’ Orphanage, and three of our circuits are 
under the charge of missionaries, and eleven of-the 
circuits and all of the sub-circuits are under the 


charge of native ministers, or supplied by native. 


local preachers, 


OUR NATIVE PREACHERS. 


Two excellent men have been transferred during 
this year to the great conference of Methodist 
preachers who have passed on before, Benjamin 
Luke and Prem Das. _ 

Prem Das was a leader in our Chamar work, 
having formerly been a priest in that caste, and 
he was one of the most devoted, loving, and true 
workers we had. At present we have nine native 
members of Conference in charge of important 

work, and thirty-six local preachers and exhorters 
acting as regular supplies. These are working in 
forty-two centers in different parts of the district, 
each center representing a large circuit of villages. 
Those acting as supplies meet annually in a Dis- 
trict Conference, where they are examined in a 
prescribed course of study, and where their work 
and their spirit are carefully tested. We do not 
‘receive men into the Annual Conference until they 
have passed their four-years’ course as local preach- 
ers and had four years of training in the regular 


work. We thus secure tried and trained men for 


No. 7. 


Rohileund District Report. 21 


an Annual Conference. In a new work in a non- 
Christian country this is of great importance, 
There is no stronger proof of the supernatural 
work of Jesus in the reformation of men than is 
found in these preachers whom God has raised up . 
here in our midst. They are saved men, and are 
as a rule baptized for this work. 


STATE OF THE CHURCH AT LARGE. 


The communicants have increased from 3,069 to 
3,474 during the past year. Particular attention is 
paid to all the means of grace of our Church in all 
the churches and classes, and growth is every- 
where manifest. Our churches in the central 
places will compare well with churches anywhere 
in faithful attention to religious duties, and in 
aiding and supporting the work of the Church 
‘both by their means and by their personal efforts. 
The village churches, where the people are unedu- 
cated, have many weaknesses peculiarly their own 
which come with them from their old religions. 
It is difficult for them to drop at once their old re- 
ligious customs and to conform in all things to the 
new. They would prefer still to marry their chil- 
dren while they are yet wholly under their control, 
and some of them would prefer to keep the Sab- 
bath in their old way of keeping a holiday, rather 
than in going each Sunday regularly to a service. 
Earnest effort and the Spirit of God will correct 
all this, 


The assertion made that our native Church is 
No. 7. 


~ 22 Rohileund District Report. 


supported by missionary money is a mistake. In 
the native district of Amroha, where no European 
or American resides, there are eighteen men paid 
from mission funds. One is paid entirely by the 
people, and nine more are partially paid by the 
mission. These are the preachers and teachers of 
the district. Be it remembered, we support no 
man as a matter of support, but we employ men as 
preachers and teachers, and are anxious for more 
of the right sort for this work, and these are paid 
partly by mission funds and partly by funds raised 
in India. (See School Report.) Each year our 
people gain in pastoral support. In nearly every 
eircuit in this district at least one man is sup- 
ported by the native Church. The mission money 
is for evangelistic work outside of the Church. 
Let every reader remember that each of our cir- 
cuits represents from 500,000 to 1,000,000 of 
people, and hence where one little church of 100 
members is established in a circuit, we have yet 
499,900 outside of the Church to evangelize. 


EVANGELISTIC WORK. 


Our work is nearly all evangelistic. Whether 
in schools or Sunday-schools, in preaching or 
Bible-reading, or teaching from house to house, 
or in training up a working Church, the object of 
all is the same, the saving of this land. Preach- 
ing in the bazaars i is a very general mode of reach- 
ing the people, and this is carried on every-where, 


Preaching at religious melas or fairs is another 
No. ¢. 


Rohileund District Report. - a 


means of reaching the masses that is constantly 
used by the Christian teachers. Our most effective 
means, however, of reaching the people is by vis- 
iting them in their villages, or in their houses in 
the city, and holding little meetings with them. 
This can be done very effectively where the people 
are friendly. Our work often spreads rapidly in 
class lines. A few of a caste are converted, and 
through these a few others are reached and the 
work spreads. A few illustrations are given. 
One missionary writes: ‘During this camping 
season we have held service daily, and people in 
twenty villages are ready to acknowledge Christ. 
Among this one class of people all obstacles seem 
to have been swept away, and our want is not for 
more converts, but for more men qualified to in- 
struct the inquirers. We find very few men among 
these people who have any education at all, and 
we have to begin at the rudiments in training our 
men.” Of another class the same missionary writes: 
‘We have been working definitely among the 
Chamars. Five years ago we determined to leave 
no stone unturned to make an opening in this class. 
We began with one small school taught by a Cha- 
mar boy. Now we have ten of these schools, and 
we make them an effective means of imparting 
Christian truth.” These schools are a powerful — 
means of, evangelistic work, and we need hundreds 


‘of them. The cost is but a trifle. A missionary 


says of another, a higher caste: ‘* During the past 
three weeks on my tour I have met in various 


places a score of Thakurs (land-holders) who are 
No. 7, 


2 Sa Rohileund District Report. 


convinced of the truth of Christianity, and freely 
and publicly acknowledge Jesus as their only hope. 
They are not yet ready for baptism and social 
ostracism, but their intellects are convinced and 
their testimony is favorable to the promotion of a 
general acceptance of Christ.” Concerning a spe- 
cial form of evangelistic work this missionary 
writes: ‘‘On diligent inquiry I have learned that 
our colporteurs are actually selling more Christian 
books that all the Hindu and Mohammedan book- 
sellers combined: We now distribute in this cir- 
cuit by sale and gift about ten thousand separate 
books and tracts per annum.’ 

A native brother writes: ‘‘Many poor people 
here are inquiring the way, and we have baptized 
some. We could baptize one hundred more who 
would sincerely receive Christ to the extent of 
their knowledge, but we prefer to teach them 
more. Many of another class are anxious to be- 
come Christians, but they want a promise of a little 
worldly support against the fear of loss when their 
old friends forsake them. One educated respect- 
able Mohamimedan has been converted here this 
year. He seems a Sincere man, and Be left all for 
Christ.” 

Another native preacher mentions a ‘ mela,” 

camp-meeting, held in a vicinity where there were 
many inquirers, which resulted in much interest, 
and several baptisms-of influential men and their 
families. He also mentions some interesting in- 
quirers near his home among some high caste 


Hindu friends. From these quotations all interested 
No. 7. 


* 


Rohileund District Report. 25 


may note something of our ways of working and 
- our success in evangelizing the heathen around. 
No means are left untried. Bazaar and mela 
preaching, visiting from house to house by men 
and women, day-schools, night-schools, and Sun- 
day-schools, magic-lanterns, out-of-door services, 
singing and testimony by all the people and among 
all the people accessible, are used, and all with 
success, 


SCHOOLS, 


The schools of the district are of various grades 
and for different objects so as to adapt them to the 
wants of the people and of our work. 

1. The Theological Seminary and Christian High 
School, This is situated at Bareilly, and is under 
the charge of Dr. T. J. Scott. It was established 
and endowed, and the buildings were erected 
through the aid and energy of Rev. D. W. Thomas. 
The design is to train men for our work either as 
preachers or teachers, and in the High School to 
give to Christian boys, who may desire it, a higher 
-education that will fit them for any position in 
life. The number of students is at present as fol- 
lows: Theological Seminary, 24; Normal Train- 
ing School, 40; High School, 11. Six students 
will graduate from the Theological Department in 
December, and about the same number will go out 
from the normal. ~ Fifty-seven men in all have 
graduated from-the Theological Seminary, and 
nearly all are doing well. The Board of Trustees 
of this institution has. lately been regiscred, 

2 0. 7. 


26 Rohileund District. Report. 


according to an act of Government, and is thus 
constituted a legal body. The endowment in 
India is mostly invested in dwelling-houses for 
Europeans, and these ‘have been leased for five 
years to one person on annual rental of 5,000 ru- 
pees, thus giving us a regular income, and saving 
us from a ‘‘world of care.”? We need $20,000 
more endowment very much for teacherships. This 
institution has been a most important auxiliary in 
the efficiency of our work, 

2. Two Orphanages. One of these, for boys, is 
at Shahjahanpore, and the one for girls is at Bareilly. 
The average number of pupils in each is about 
250. We receivemuch aid in the support of these 
from Government, which gives two rupees per 
month for each orphan sent in by a magistrate 
during years of famine. Government also gives a 
liberal grant for the education of the children. 
During the present year nearly one hundred boys 
have been removed to Cawnpore, and placed in a 
cotton mill and in a shoe shop there, where they 
will be soon able ‘to earn their own living. They 
are still kept under the care of a missionary, and 
are faithfully taught. The*boys who remain in 
the Orphanage are all learning trades in connection 
with their studies. These two schools have sent 
out many consistent, intelligent Christian nen and 
women, and many faithful workers in God’s vine- 
yard. 

3. Central Anglo-vernacular or Middle Schools. 
There is one of these central schools for boys at 
the center of each Zillah, or Court district. They 

No. 7. fore 


Rohileund District Report. 27 


provide an education, fitting pupils for practical 
work of any kind. They teach up to the first 
Government Examination, which includes tle same 
vernacular course as is required for entrance to the 
university, with the ‘* History of India,” ‘*‘ Geogra- 
‘phy of the World,” all of arithmetic, algebra, 
through simple equations, three books of Euclid, 
and a good practical business knowledge of the 
English language. These schools are attended 
‘mostly by Hindu and Mohammedan boys of the 
better classes of people, and it is through these 
that we secure much influence in the community. 
There are at present six of these schools in Rohil- 
cund, with about 650 boys in attendance. The 
Bible is a daily class-book, and each school is 
opened by reading a portion of Scripture and 
prayer. As the demand for a higher education in- 
creases, the grade of these schools will be raised to 
meet the demand. All of these schools, except 
one, have good buildings well adapted to the 
work, erected largely by funds raised in India. 
These schools all receive much aid in India, and 
the boys pay monthly fees. 

4. Boarding Schools, The need which is sup- 
plied by the above schools for boys is supplied by 
the boarding schools for girls. There are four of 
these in the district, with about 250 girlsin attend- 
ance, Thé demand for good education for girls is 
only felt by Christians, hence up to the present 
_ time only Christians attend these schools. They 

give a thorough education in vernacular, with a 
little English when demanded, and teach the girls 
No. 7. 


28 Rohileund District Report. 


to do all kinds of work that will fit them for future 
usefulness. These schools are of great practical 
benefit to our work. The girls generally come 
from village life, where there are no schools, and 
where no woman reads, and are trained thoroughly 
in all practical knowledge, are taught faithfully in 
the Scriptures and in religious duties, and are sent 
out well fitted for life as Christian women. In a 
Jate quarterly review of Sunday-school Berean Les- 
sons, forty-eight girls of one of these schools passed 
the first examination for the quarter, giving the 
subjects, the selected verses, the outlines, the 
golden texts, etc., of the twelve lessons perfectly. 
The class and prayer meetings in connection with 
these schools are very interesting, as here the spir- 
itual development and erowth is seen. These 
boarding schools are supported by the Woman’s 
Foreign Missionary Society, though much aid is 
also secured in this country. 

5. Primary Schools. There are 148 of these in the - 
district, with 8,008 pupils in attendance. A few of 
these teach primary English also, but most of them 
teach vernacular only. The course of study in- 
cludes reading, writing in Hindu or Urdu, with 
geography of India, and arithmetic through simple 
and compound rules. About half of these schools 
are for girls, and are among respectable classes of 
Hindus and Mohammedans. Many of those for 
boys are among inquirers or native Christians 
among the village people of the lower classes who 
have never before heen educated at all. In most 


of the circuits there is a desire to increase the 
No. 7%. 


Rohileund District Report. 29 


number of these schools very largely, and aid can 
be secured in this country for them. In Budaon 
city, where five years ago there was only one such 
school, there are ten now, and Brother Hoskins 
‘desires to increase them to forty. This is a fair 
specimen of the demand for such schools, and no 
work can be done that will aid more in raising up 
an intelligent native Church than will such school 
work. ‘The parents are also instructed by the 
Christian teachers, and will be baptized as fast as 
we can teach them the way, and the children will 
- grow up well instructed in the truth. Religious 
instruction is an important part of the course of 
study. We desire to arrange for promoting one or 
two boys from each primary school annually to a 
central school, for a more complete education, 
that will fit them to secure good positions any- 
where. 

_ Thus, as will be seen, our school work is ex- 
actly adapted to meet the demand of the people 
and of our work. The entire number of pupils in 
the district is 4,483, of whom 1,288 are Christians, 
s and 8,200 non-Christians; 2,461 are boys, and 
2,022 girls. 

_ The Missionary Societies pay about one half of 
the expense of these schools, and the balance is 
raised in India. (See statistics in column for 
‘** Local Purposes.”’)* : 

_ 5. Sunday-schools. These are growing and in- 
creasing every-where throughout our work. A 


* Table found in Annual Report. 
j No. 7. 


30  Rohileund District Report. 


few of these are for Christians only; others are 
mixed, Christians and non-Christians meeting 
together, while many are held among Hindu and 
Mohammedan boys or girls. The model school of. 
the district, perhaps, is at Moradabad. It usually 
numbers about 300 in attendance, and all three 
religions are always represented. The girls and 
women occupy one side of the large hall, and the 
bovs and men the other side. In the general ex- 
ercise all take part, and usually in connection with | 
these some boy or girl reads an essay, and another 
has a recitation illustrating the lesson. All classes 
take part in this also. At the quarterly examina- 
tion, 54 pupils of this school passed the first. ex- 
amination, giving the subjects, the selected verses, 
the outlines, and the golden texts of all the lessons. 
for the quarter perfectly. The secret of the suc- 
cess of our Sunday-schools ‘is, that we try to inter- 
est the children, and teach them as children, not 
as Hindus or Mohammedans. What our brother 
says in his report is true of all the districts: ‘Our 
Sunday-school work has grown beyond our most 
sanguine expectations. We can secure more chil- 
dren than we can possibly instruct.” We teach 
the Berean Lessons in connection with the his- 
torical Catechism. 


CONCLUSION, 


Our purpose is to push forward the work of this 
entire district among this 5,000,000 of people, 
especially among the inquiring classes, increasing 

No. 7. 


Rohileund District Report. 31 


the schools and Sunday-schools as God may give. 
us men and means, and leading the inquirers 
forward to become true Christians. At the same 
time we shall use every possible means to teach 
and confirm our Christian people, and make our 
Church self-supporting and independent. The 
poverty of the people is a great hinderance, but 
we shall succeed. Our higher-grade schools will 
continue to increase in efficiency and in the num- 
ber of the pupils, and will give us a hold on the 
future generation of all castes. While not many 
of the higher classes have been called, yet we 
have, by the grace of God, received some men of 
marked ability and true Pauline spirit from among 
the educated, and feel already strong in our native 


force for any work of the future. 
No. 7. 


Crud 


Bi 


